She’s brave and determined and you will never tame Grace

Thank goodness for Grace Tame and difficult women everywhere (“One word to describe the prime minister: Unbelievable”, February 27). Having been around feminist activists most of my adult life, I am well aware of the challenging persona individuals often have to adopt just to get a hearing. Similarly, thank goodness we have a prime minister who is honest enough to say even those he respects and values can sometimes be difficult to deal with in the bureaucratic blandness of government. Bruce King, Rushcutters Bay

Good on you, Grace Tame, for being difficult and thereby supporting feminism. A woman’s lot is not a happy one: read glass ceiling, domestic violence, risk of rape and assault in the streets, poverty, paternalism, sexual objectification to name some. Women are still downtrodden despite their efforts to lift themselves up to at least to have some of the benefits that men take for granted. And many men just don’t get what their beef is. Greg Lewin, Tumbi Umbi

After Albo used the word “difficult”, there has been a backlash from Tame and a pile-on of criticism from other women who see the term as derogatory, misogynistic and condescending. Aren’t they being a bit disingenuous here? Grace Tame has been doing a commendable job in exposing the extent of sexual grooming and assault and is worthy of the highest praise in working for change. Much of her success is due to her feisty and determined nature. Indeed, she makes it “difficult” for her adversaries to ignore her passion and advocacy. What has disappointed me is Tame’s own use of the derogatory term “old man” to describe Albanese. As a septuagenarian, I am, no doubt, a member of that club and, like others of my generation, still have plenty to offer in terms of life experience and wisdom. It’s a bit hypocritical to argue otherwise, don’t you think? Robert Hickey, Green Point

Throughout my long career, I encountered many individuals whom I could and would identify as “difficult”. Males, females, young, old, rich, poor, of any cultural, religious or political background – all humans are eligible. I believe our PM was being honest, rather than sexist, and the current pile-on is just not warranted. Lorraine Hickey, Green Point

If the suffragettes had been anything less than “difficult”, then men would have continued to withhold voting rights for women. Those warriors did not go about their demands in a gentle, demure and ladylike manner. Pauline McGinley, Drummoyne

A live event where the nation’s leader plays a rapid-fire game in which he has to choose one word to describe some prominent figures? What could possibly go wrong? Kerrie Wehbe, Blacktown

Women and children first

I was gobsmacked by the new hysteria at the idea of ISIS brides wanting to return home (“ISIS brides prepared for jail to get children home”, February 27), and that this must be legislated against. I do hope our intelligence service can differentiate between ISIS links through arranged marriages at a very young age and the women’s ideology. Do you really believe that a girl of 14, married off by her parents and then forced to be with her husband, to then discover the horrors she’s now inherited, pregnant and with multiple children, and a husband killed in action, has any interest in ISIS ideology?
It beggars belief some politicians are trying to get votes by stirring fears of imminent ISIS attacks. Even more that so many Australians seem happy to throw innocent children to the scrapheap. Imagine if it was your daughter and think whether you would want to help her. They were stupid to go to Syria, yes, and so very young, often married off by their families without any say or investigation of the groom. This deserves more community discussions. Dieter Gartelmann, Fidon (SA)

Andrew Probyn and Michael Bachelard report camp authorities have made a distinction between the ISIS brides and their children and others in the camp who continue in their radicalised beliefs and are becoming a new Islamic State. They offer nothing other than the observation that they were “no trouble” and largely stayed together. I don’t think we would consider releasing prisoners from our own facilities solely on the observation from their guards that they were less trouble than the murderers around them. Repatriating an ISIS cell to Australia is pure folly, and no amount of compassion should tell us otherwise. Brian Barrett, Padstow

It never ceases to amaze me the mendacity and pigheadedness that can be exhibited by governments as they tie themselves in knots trying to toe a political line, the case of the ISIS brides being a glaring example. Let’s look at an alternative scenario. Had the Labor Party said at the outset, “Yes, we have 1) supplied these folk with Australian passports because they are Australian citizens and are entitled to them, 2) there are young children involved who have been incarcerated in appalling conditions for the past seven years and must be protected at all costs, 3) we choose to ignore the braying and howls of protest from the now almost irrelevant conservative side of politics, 4) we will be sending an RAAF aeroplane to collect them and bring them back to an appropriate place in Australia where they can be assessed by experts as to their worthiness to be settled back in Australian society, and 5) that is the end of it”, this whole sorry business would have probably been entirely forgotten by everyone by the end of next week. And the children would be safe. Michael Slocum, Ascot Vale (Vic)

I have not heard a word from any politician to justify leaving the so-called Australian ISIS women and children in a war-torn foreign country. Australia is their country, and their families and friends are here, ready and willing to provide support. Why is Australia still dragging the process out? Time to them bring home. Toni Stevenson, Fairlight

It’s theoretically possible that some, or even all, of the ISIS brides have been radicalised. However, as Australian citizens, they are entitled to return home before being deemed a threat. They could be subjected to a thorough psychological examination, and even if found to be radicalised, they’re entitled to the opportunity to be deradicalised. Should that fail, then other options could be considered, including permanent detention if necessary. Those who pass the psychological test could be subjected to ongoing assessments at regular intervals to satisfy all concerned, if deemed necessary. In any case, we don’t have the right to inflict Australian terrorists on another country. Graham Lum, North Rocks

In 2018, we rightly applauded and awarded Dr Richard Harris for his courageous role in the rescue of the 12 Thai boys trapped in the Tham Luang cave. Many are now vilifying Dr Jamal Rifi for his courageous attempt to rescue the 23 Australian children trapped in Syria. Yes, their parents are responsible and should be held accountable for exposing them to danger and, if proven, their support for the terrorist IS group. But the children are innocent. Chris Sutherland, Glenbrook

Is it too early to nominate Dr Jamal Rifi for the next Australian of the Year? Dale Bailey, St Leonards

Mind the gaps and save a mint

How do you ensure something won’t happen (“The PM’s high-speed gamble: The world’s longest rail tunnel or deepest money pit”, smh.com.au, February 27)? Devise the most platinum-plated option for a project with an eye-popping price. The real issue is the unwillingness of state and federal governments to fund moderately costed upgrades on the existing Sydney to Newcastle rail line that can significantly increase capacity for passenger and freight services and speed up the line. Imagine for a moment if the line between Hornsby and Berowra were quadrupled, enabling Central Coast and long-distance passenger trains travelling to Central an unencumbered run without having the complication of an all-stops North Shore train sharing the tracks between Hornsby and Berowra. As well, quadruplication between Rhodes and West Ryde would improve the capacity of that line. In addition, minor straightening of the line in the Central Coast. Moderate changes like this can be delivered for a fraction of the price. Robert Jacobucci, Canley Vale

While the construction of high-speed rail is well overdue in Australia, I fear it will continue to be debated and delayed. In my opinion, a more viable and achievable option would be to upgrade the existing lines to enable speeds of 150 to 200km/h. This would enable a trip from Sydney to Melbourne to be completed in under six hours (compared with more than 10 now), Canberra in two hours and Newcastle in an hour, depending on intermediate stops. This would be a vast improvement on today’s snail-paced journeys and a clear alternative to flying or driving. I would note that even the old XPT was based on a British design that was capable of 200km/h. David Clark, Avalon Beach

In an attempt to kill off the argument that NSW does not have the population to support high-speed rail, the business case says the population density between Sydney and Newcastle of 624 people per square kilometre, being more than twice the density of the Spanish high-speed rail corridor between Barcelona and Zaragoza, which has a population density of 244 people per square kilometre. Talk about grasping at straws. This ignores geology and geography. A quick search of the map shows a Spanish rail route through what appears to be flat to undulating agricultural land. By my rough Google query, the cost of the line in today’s dollars was of the order of $6 billion for roughly 300 rail kilometres. That in the order of $20 million a kilometre. Compare that with the cost of constructing a 150km high-speed rail link between Sydney and Newcastle, which is estimated at $90 billion, which works out at (correct me if I’m wrong) $600 million dollars a kilometre. I don’t think Spain would have built theirs at those rates. How about we think about improving the 19th century rail geometry (not gun barrel straight) to improve the average speed and without the need for 100 kilometres of new tunnels (that’s the killer)? Denis Sullivan, Greystanes

It is predictable that the latest proposal for a Very Fast Train has encouraged a welter of knockers. The same arguments were trotted out when Bradfield first suggested that the Sydney Harbour Bridge should be built. Meanwhile, most of Europe and large parts of Asia enjoy the benefits of their VFTs. I can remember my first ride in an Italian VFT about a decade ago. The Frecciarossa enabled me to have a day trip in Florence while I was staying in Rome 273 kilometres away. No time-consuming check-in at an airport. Just whoosh! 296km/h. Among the tourists in our carriage were many Roman business people off for a day’s work in Florence. They worked on their laptops on the way up and had a snack and a wine on the way back. Australia should embrace the advantages that VFT travel provides rather than focusing on the hurdles that must be overcome to make it a reality. Mike Reddy, Vincentia

Overcrowded Sydney needs to relocate. Here in the New England area, we have a few spaces left for people to have a backyard for their kids to play in and for industry to expand – particularly north of Armidale. And you don’t need $1.1million to buy a house. There are, though, a couple of blights: nearly 300 B-Double trucks each 24 hours pass through Tenterfield down the New England Highway on their way south. Why? Because Nick Greiner removed the freight trains from Tenterfield in 1988. The other blight is that we in Armidale can’t even get to Tenterfield, let alone Brisbane, unless we have a car. There’s a food basket in southern Queensland but no freight to carry it south. Freight would make this line viable again. More than today’s one (very) slow train a day from Armidale to Sydney is desperately needed; flights are often cancelled. It’s a flood-free zone, unlike the coastal route. Those going to the 2032 Olympic Games from anywhere out of Sydney, need to drive. Catch a train to Brisbane? You have to get to Sydney first. Even then, the train to Brisbane via the coast is iffy – you’ll find yourself in a bus for some of it; more if remaining tracks are flooded. The Melbourne-Sydney route, the last I hear, entails quite a bit by bus. Not good enough, Albo. Scrap AUKUS. Ditch America. Deni McKenzie, Armidale

Growing pest problem

It’s alarming that another 4 million people are assumed to be crowded into Sydney in the next few decades (“Architect has a plan to use every precious slice of Sydney’s space”, February 27), which was once a lovely, liveable city. What will be left for our dwindling native animal populations? Infinite growth of the human population is not feasible for a planet that is healthiest with maximum biodiversity. For any other animal species we’d be calling the pest inspectors. At what point will we be satisfied that a city is big enough? Where does business and personal greed end? Not until we have a climate (or similar) disaster it seems. Anne Matheson, Gordon

Imagination in the use of spaces between buildings is to be applauded, particularly if that involves trees and spaces for relaxation. But the suggestion that “the line between what is public and private would be blurred” is a poor idea. Do we really need more of our public spaces to be gobbled up by the private sector? Greg Baker, Fitzroy Falls

Bulletproof compliance

I have no idea on what basis your correspondent claims that “licensed firearm owners are the most law-abiding identifiable group in the community” (Letters, February 27). Is he claiming that gun owners never exceed the speed limit when driving? Never cheat even a little bit on their taxes? Always refund any government overpayments? In any event, if licensed gun owners are so incredibly law-abiding, then presumably they will gladly comply with any and every law regulating gun ownership? Brendan Jones, Annandale

So many voices calling for “law-abiding” gun owners to be excluded from legislated restrictions on guns. That is fine with me, providing the “law-abiding” condition is enforced. Exceed the speed limit and lose your guns. Leave rubbish behind in a park and says goodbye to your guns. Overstay parking, same consequence. Let’s do it. Michael Harrington, Bonnet Bay

Smart decision

We were watching Trump’s State of the Union word fest (Letters, February 27) when our smart television turned itself off. I think it had heard enough, as had we, and we thanked our technological overlords over a cup of tea. Greg Phillipson, Aranda (ACT)

Partings time

It is not only Millennials who are happy, but also this old Baby Boomer (“The side part is on trend again and Millennials all over are rejoicing”, February 27). Having worn a side hair parting all my life, now many decades long, it is pleasing to read that at least one part of my dowdy self has suddenly become fashionable again. Heather Johnson, West Pennant Hills

Does this mean anything goes for men’s hair, or should we be content to go with the flow? Mustafa Erem, Terrigal

Chuck out chatbots

Hey, Woolworths and all those other companies: we’re sick of fake stuff and so-called chatbots (“Woolworths forced to rein in chatbot”, February 27). They aren’t worth the money you pay for them. Chuck ’em out now and employ real people with real brains who can answer our questions. The moment I get an offer to “talk to Andrea” I disconnect in every way. These chatbots are a pain in the you-know-what and are another example confirming that companies don’t really care as long as they get hold of our money. Hiding behind chatbots and employing “cheaper” people from the Philippines or India to solve our problems doesn’t cut it either. Ian Ferrier, Long Jetty

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